Single Hearts
by LuipaardJack
Summary: PreSAC. Togusa meets Section 9. Saito wants to keep him, Pazu is afraid of him, and Batou just wants to know where to hide the body. Chapter 3 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**This fanfic was inspired in part by the opening scene in the manga Imadoki!(Nowadays). That came together along with my wanting to write a "Togusa meets Section 9" ficcy...**

**Also: I've done some minor spelling editing. :smile: Bet that'll make it easier to read!**

**October 29, 2006: I am, once again, a freaking moron. There is no training field in Section 9. It is simply a camouflaged room. Fuck.**

**REVIEW!**

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Pazu was hiding outside by the chain link fence smoking (Major had been giving him black looks about it; he had decided that he had better not take chances, and took to smoking where she couldn't see him) when he heard the shout of triumph turning to a warning cry.

Leaning against the fence, he saw a peculiar shadow fall over him along with a yell of "WATCH OUT!" followed by the revving of an engine.

He looked up -- and cried out in horror as the black motorcycle bore down on him.

He could have sworn that he felt the back tire scrape his head. The land vehicle skidded sharply on the ground, and Pazu fell back onto his seat end. His cigarette had fallen out his mouth and now lay beside him. He looked at it wildly before he scrambled to his feet to face the maniac that had nearly run him over

The said maniac was hurriedly dismounting and pulling off his helmet. Wide gold eyes framed by long russet hair stared at him with horror. Behind him, the motorcycle fell over, engine still running.

"Oh God, I am _so sorry_! I didn't see you! Are you alright?"

Pazu's mouth opened and closed much like a fish for several seconds before he got his voice back.

_"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU IDIOT?"_

The man blinked. Then he smiled sheepishly and looked down at his black motorcycle boots. "Well, I'm going to start working here at Section 9 tomorrow -- I guess I just wanted to see what it looked like. But I came, and everything was locked up --"

"So you decided to use crap from the junk yard as an entrance ramp!" Pazu indicated the junk field that the building was adjacent to with a large sweep of his hand.

"Well...yeah." The long-haired man suddenly realized that his bike had fallen, and went to pull it back into an upright position.

Pazu stared at him. Now that he thought about it, there had been mention about a new guy...

"You're --" What had the man's name been? "Tomoe?" No, that wasn't it, it had more consonants.

The man turned off the engine and pulled out the kickstand. He made a face. "What's really annoying about my name is that no one can remember it properly. It's...Togusa." He stripped off his leather jacket and laid it over his arm, revealing a grey T-shirt underneath lettered with faded Cyrillic. "Just Togusa."

Pazu stared for a moment. Then he looked at his cigarette again. It was sputtering on the ground. He considered picking it back up and stomped on it instead. "So you're our rookie.(1)"

Togusa, now looking a little embarrassed, nodded. "Yeah. And I wanted to see if I could look around..." He seemed to be realizing that this might not have been the best move.

Maybe that tire had done more than scrape Pazu. Maybe it had actually hit him, and there was now a large tire track on the top of his skull, and he had brain damage. It would certainly explain what he said next: "I'll introduce you to the others."

But it was worth it to see Togusa's face light up the way it did. Pazu had the awful feeling that he was getting soft.

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Ishikawa's eyebrows hit his hairline as Pazu entered the (mercifully) empty Tachikoma hanger with a stranger in tow.

"Pazu?"

"He followed me home," was the short reply. The former yakuza minion retreated to a corner and lit a fresh cigarette. He started puffing on it frantically.

"I gave him a hard time," the stranger said, looking embarrassed. "I, ah, kinda ran him over when I jumped the fence to get into the field."

Ishikawa had seen that fence. It was ten feet tall and almost impossible to jump, even with help. He scraped his jaw off the floor long enough to ask "Why?"

"I'm starting work here tomorrow, and I just...wanted to see it." He tugged on a lock of hair for a moment before tucking it neatly behind one ear. "I'm Togusa."

"I'm Ishikawa. What's your family name?"

"Nobuyoshi. It's -- recent." If you could call six years recent. Togusa knew that it wasn't the best attitude to take, but he couldn't help it. After spending eleven years having only one name, he still found it discombobulating to have to add those four extra syllables in front of the original.

Well that's...nice..." Ishikawa was staring at him like he was a lunatic. Togusa could feel his self-confidence withering.

"Yo! Ishikawa! Who's the hippie?"

Togusa's mouth dropped open and he whirled around, furious. _"Who are you calling a hippie?"_

The two men that had just entered the hanger were as different as could be. One was slender, with black hair and a buzz cut, along with a cybernetic eye patch; the other was large, tall and muscular, and had classic creamy grey eye implants and long white hair pulled back in a ponytail. The man with the ponytail was the one that had spoken.

Togusa folded his arms. "You don't have any room to talk, you know."

The pony tailed man smirked, and Togusa knew that he had caught the reference. "Yeah, right. It's pretty obvious that you're one of those 'let's-all-hug-and-kiss' types. Me, I'm a hardened killer."

Togusa almost fell over, he laughed so hard.

The man obviously did not appreciate being laughed at. He glared at Togusa, and then at the dark haired man when he chuckled along.

The man who chuckled walked up to him and jerked a thumb at the one with white hair. "The idiot with the big mouth is Batou. I'm Saito. There's a bald guy named Boma running around here somewhere, and you've already met Major."

Togusa shuddered at the memory.

"So he's our rookie(1), huh?" Batou circled around him. "Bit scrawny, aren't you?"

"I was deprived of hugs as a child," Togusa replied with a straight face.

Batou ignored that and promptly wrapped his arms around the detective's torso. "You are cute though, I'll give you that."

Togusa automatically put his hands on the other man's wrists. Then he registered what it was that had just been told to him. "Wait, what?"

"Batou, don't tease him, he's married," Ishikawa said wearily.

"I'm not teasing him, I'm -- AUUGH!"

Batou released Togusa, and grabbed at his left wrist. Togusa smiled innocently at him and spread his hands.

Pazu, for anyone who cares, was still in the corner, on his third cigarette, and contemplating his brush with death.

"Maybe you'd better go," Saito said, eyeing the furious Batou.

"I think you're right," Togusa agreed.

So, Togusa retrieved his bike, and Saito unlocked the front gate for him.

"Oh, before I forget, could you give Pazu a message for me? Tell him to tell Mitarashi Reiji that Luipaard needs to talk to him about the business in Accounting," Togusa said formally.

Hm. Odd. Togusa had only known Pazu for an hour, Saito thought. But then he shrugged. Wasn't any of his business. "Sure thing. See you around, then."

Togusa smiled, pulled on his helmet and rolled off. When Saito told Pazu the message, the man turned white. "He...Togusa knows Luipaard(2)...but the only way he could is if..."

Pazu stared at the wall for the rest of the day in a mixture of shock and awe of his new teammate.

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**(1) I think it would be fun to have Section 9 already so possessive of him when they didn't even know him...considering how scary they can get when someone makes any other move on him, when they know him well like they do in the series.**

**(2) "Luipaard" is Dutch for "leopard."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Byrnstar** - Thanks! One of my biggest challenges for this fandom is writing conversations that have proper rhythms as well as conveying how close the members of Section 9 are. I just hope I'm getting it done right!

**green-eyed-bastard** - Ah, yes, the wrist lock. It's been bugging me that Togusa is always getting the crap knocked out of him, so I guess this is one small retribution in his favor...

**qirien** - Pazu just doesn't get enough love.

**Veritas in Pitus Nectarinium** - He's not a biker dude per se, at least not in how I understand the phrase. He doesn't even use it all the much -- just when he has something personal he wants to take care of quickly, like here.

**Apparition7** & **Alaskantiger** - You two have inspired me to go on!

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When Togusa had nearly killed Pazu while jumping the training field fence, it had been a beautiful day with a shining sun and an azure sky. Unfortunately, the following days were not so pleasant.

Rain poured down relentlessly on the city, lightning jumped amongst the clouds leading to power outages in numerous buildings, and thunder rattled the windows of Public Security Section 9.

"How does weather like this just creep up?" Batou asked as a particularly violent lightning bolt flashed.

"Mysteries of world that will probably never be solved," Ishikawa replied as he finished his crossword. Then he frowned and put the newspaper down. "Hey where is what's-his-name -- Togusa?"

"He called ahead and said he'd be late. Stuck in traffic, apparently."

"I did hear something about a wreck..."

"Make it plural." Batou rubbed the back of his neck. "We have our own generator, don't we?"

"Unless there's been a major change to the building within the last three days that the Chief forgot to tell us about. Why?"

"I need to go look up something, is all." Batou headed for the door of the break room. Ishikawa sighed and tucked the newspaper underneath his elbow before following.

Batou promptly commandeered the dive room (much to the disgruntlement of the red-suited hirelings of the crime lab) for his research. It didn't take very long; he simply logged in and accessed Section 9's employee records.

"Why are you looking up Togusa?" Ishikawa asked wearily.

"'Cause I wanna know about him." Batou studied the profile picture through the headset for a moment before shrugging and clicking on the natural man's biography.

"Obviously. Why can't you just ask him?"

"People don't tell you about the skeletons they have locked away in their closets."

"Are you making a threat assessment?"

Batou scowled, and Ishikawa smiled. Naturally, Batou would want to dig something up on Togusa after being humiliated with yesterday's wrist lock.

"It doesn't have anything to do with yesterday," Batou snarled, correctly interpreting the smile.

"I didn't say anything."

"Keep it that way." Batou began reading. He looked puzzled at the content and checked to make sure he had the right file. Then he scrolled back down. "Did somebody switch his life with another guy's?"

"No," Ishikawa said. "But then..."

The two friends looked at each other. Then they looked back at the computer screen.

"This can't be right though," Batou said. "It just...it can't. We don't hire lunatics. Official ones, anyway."

Ishikawa nodded slowly. "Yeah. But look, it says that he was released when he was fourteen."

Batou minimized the biography and accessed the medical records. "But they didn't have follow-ups on him. Of any kind. That's not how asylums work, they check up on their patients. And come on --" He highlighted the name of Togusa's rescuer. "Ilya Vitkowskii was only eighteen! You have to be twenty-one before you can do anything involving the medical field!"

Ishikawa gnawed on a knuckle briefly before he said "Move."

Batou vacated the chair, and Ishikawa began typing. "Ilya Vitkowskii...Here." The man popped up on the screen. "Not much to go on...nationality is Russian, 116 pounds, six feet even in height -- deceased?"

"He's _dead_?"

Ishikawa squinted. "He was killed in the New Tokyo Birch Park gas-line explosion."

"My God..."

Everyone knew about the White Birch Park gas-line explosion; it had touched off a severe earthquake that had rocked the entire island.

"Go back to his bio," Batou said suddenly. "When was he admitted to the asylum?"

"Mmm, let's see...ah. He was --" Ishikawa blinked. "This can't be right either -- nine years old!"

"Wha-at?"

"They found him on the streets when he was nine years old, covered in blood, dazed and confused -- exceptionally violent."

"How can a nine year old kid be 'exceptionally violent'?"

"He..." Ishikawa swallowed. "He killed two doctors and three nurses when he was -- ten. Then they moved him to the psychotic ward --"

"Where they me kept pumped full of drugs for the next four years." Togusa's voice sailed out, making Batou jump a mile and Ishikawa yelp.

"Togusa --" Ishikawa lifted the headset, eyes wide. "We were -- uh --"

"Prying into my personal life?" Togusa leaned over the computer and pushed several keys. The windows on the screen disappeared. "You know, if you two wanted to know what my childhood was like, all you had to do was ask." His sugary tone belied the anger written all over his face.

He was soaking wet. Water dripped off of his brown pants and pooled on the floor while his dark turtleneck stuck to his too-thin body,(1) and his shoes squished when he moved. The matching jacket being carried over his arm wasn't in much better condition. Togusa brushed his drenched bangs out of his eyes and glared at the two men, his golden eyes glimmering eerily in the greenish glow of the computer light.

But he stayed silent.

He was waiting for an explanation, Batou realized. But they didn't really have one.

He tried anyway. "We were -- uh --" He fumbled madly.

"Curious," Ishikawa provided hastily.

"Curious." Togusa's voice was flat with disbelief; his face could have been made out of granite. He draped his jacket over a chair-back and folded his arms. "Right. Pull the other one."

"I'm serious," Batou protested. "I mean, I was curious anyway, and then I roped Ishikawa into it, and it's not like we thought we'd be finding out anything like -- that --" He waved at the computer screen.

Shit. Togusa wasn't buying it. Batou could tell from the way his eyes were narrowed -- like a wild cat pondering the best way to make its next kill.

But he didn't make the kill. Instead, Togusa slowly picked his jacket back up. "I'll...take your word on that."

He took a step backwards, the calculating look still in his eyes. Then he said, "I'd prefer we keep my tenure in the bughouse just between us."

"Sure," Ishikawa gasped. He had forgotten to breathe somewhere between the moment he had last spoken and now. "No problem."

"Good."

Togusa left the dive room. The two men slumped in relief.

"How did he know we where here?" Batou asked.

"Probably from listening just outside the door," Ishikawa rasped. He shuddered. "Did you see the way he looked at us?"

"Yeah." Batou stared at the puddles of water on the ground. "Kinda like looking at wild animal. A hungry one..."

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**(1) It struck me today when re-watching some of the episodes from season one that Togusa was INCREDIBLY thin. I mean, he must have one hell of a metabolism to get that lean.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks to Apparition7, green eyed bastard, and The Anibee!**

**Review please!**

* * *

Pazu skittered nervously through the entrance. Quick check: Togusa was nowhere to be found. Thank God. Now, if he could just get inside all the way without anyone noticing...

Loud footsteps in the hall alerted him to the presence of another. Pazu looked down the hollow construct fearfully. Trying to be calm and rational, he said to himself, _The worst it can be is Togusa, ready to kill the first living creature to cross his path --_

And it was indeed Togusa striding down the hall. He looked murderous.

Pazu abandoned calm and rationality, bolting through the nearest open door. But he knew it wouldn't save him. Not when the most dangerous man in Japan was wandering around the halls.

Sure enough, Togusa's footsteps quickened and came nearer. Pazu stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, awaiting his fate.

* * *

"Togusa!" Saito barked. "Come help!"

Togusa had been about to follow Pazu into the open room. Now he straightened and gave Saito a curious look. "Sure. With what?"

"Supplies. Boma's got it in the back of the truck. Help him take it to the kitchen."

"We have a kitchen?" His interested piqued, Togusa trotted out the front door and saw a large man standing in the bed of a blue pick-up parked in the street.

"Hi." He nimbly levered himself up over the side into the bed. "I'm Togusa! And you must be Boma."

"Guilty as charged. You're our rookie, huh?"

"Yes, indeedy. We have a kitchen?"

Boma smiled -- but it seemed rusty, as if he didn't do it much. "And enough food to last out an earthquake. Canned stuff, mostly."

"As well as a can _opener_?"

Boma opened his mouth to reply. Then he stopped and frowned.

"Never mind," Togusa said dryly.(1) "I can bring one from home until we get one. What's what?"

* * *

"Not much of a kitchen."

"It's a generic term. Besides, the Chief wouldn't spring for a bigger room."(2) Saito set the last box down heavily on the window counter. "You organize the cans, and I'll get the coffee maker set up. Where'd Boma go?"

"He said he was going to get Batou." Togusa took out his pen knife and slit the plastic sealant. "I can't imagine why, it's not like _he_ needs anything here."

Saito looked up at the irritated note in his voice. "You don't like him?"

Togusa pressed his mouth in a thin line. "A misunderstanding. I hope."

_I'd love to hear the story behind that._ Saito shrugged and pulled up the lid on the coffee maker. "I doubt Boma'll be able to pry him away from his training equipment."

"Training equipment?"

"Yeah. It's what he does when there's nothing to do, and he's tired of being an ass to everyone."

"He's a cyborg. It's not like he can build muscle, can he?"

"Hey, it's not my pay being blown on worthless crap like that. Where's the plug?"

"I'm sure you'll find it," Togusa said with amusement.

"Hah, hah. You know, Boma probably just wants to show you off."

Togusa froze in the middle of picking up a can. "Say what?"

"Just smile, nod, and act pleasant. He likes to adopt people."

"Adopt?"

"Surreptitiously. He'd never admit it, of course. But he likes you, so he's going to adopt you."

"Likes?"

"If you don't stop parroting back everything I say, I'll defenestrate you."

Togusa ignored that. "What do you mean, 'adopt?'" he demanded.

"It means he and only he, is going to show you how to hack, back-trace, and perform other nefarious cyber no-nos." Togusa still looked confused. "He's the teacher," Saito explained. "Ishikawa is too comfortable in his rut to bother, and Major would eat you alive." He grunted in satisfaction as he located the wall plug.

The natural man fiddled with the label of a particular can. "Could I...forego it?"

"Probably. You'd break his heart though, he loves teaching. Why?"

"Computers and I don't really mix." Togusa grimaced as he spoke. "I'm mediocre at best. He'd probably despair of me fifteen minutes in."

"Give him a chance, it won't kill you."

Togusa looked doubtful at that, but if he was planning to say something it was cut off by the voices of Batou and Boma down the hall. "Shit," he muttered.

Saito pretended not to hear any of them and pulled open the filter-basket. "Is this okay to use right off the bat?"

"Good heavens, certainly not. You don't know where it's been. Wash it out. I don't suppose you thought to buy dish soap?"

Saito dug around for a moment and produced a clear blue bottle and a sponge with a dramatic flourish. Naturally, this was when Batou and Boma arrived at the door.

Upon seeing Togusa in the room, Batou froze. Togusa gave him a cool nod, flashed Boma smile, and went back to organizing the cans.

"Hi," Saito said. Then he put the basket in the sink and turned on the water.

"Hi." Batou craned his neck to watch. "What are you doing?"

"Washing."

"Why?"

"Because according to Togusa, this thing is crawling with parasites and bacteria."

"Might be," Togusa called loudly from his spot.

"_Might_ be crawling with parasites and bacteria," Saito amended.

In the ensuing put-down parade that erupted between cyborg and sharp-shooter, (with Boma watching on the sidelines in amusement) Togusa was left unsupervised for some minutes. Saito and Batou's voices carried so that they didn't hear the ripping of paper, or Togusa's agitated muttering.

The insult fest was interrupted by the heavy impact of a can hitting the floor.

"...everywhere... and the hands go _everywhere_..." Feverishly, the natural man tore off a wrapper with various Greek letters printed on the side. He rolled the can away negligently, grabbed another. "...when you brush your teeth and no one _said_ anything..."

Boma, moving with surprising speed considering his bulk, went to Togusa's side and gently tugged the can out of his hands. Saito was already behind him, and grabbed his wrists gently.

"...and then they _come_..." 

Saito hushed him gently, being experienced in such matters since he had two younger sisters. Togusa grimaced and laid his head back on Saito's shoulder to stare at the ceiling.

* * *

**(1) Togusa always remembers the small details. _grin_**

**(2) This is where you see Major taking a break, in ESCAPE FROM. I don't think you see the back corner of the room...so why not add a small counter and sink? _shrug_**

**I'm evil, aren't I? Hee.**


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